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R. M. W. Dixon R. M. W. Dixon i(A6610 works by) (a.k.a. Robert Malcolm Ward Dixon; Bob Dixon)
Also writes as: Hosanna Brown
Born: Established: 1939
c
United Kingdom (UK),
c
Western Europe, Europe, ;
Gender: Male
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Works By

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1 2 y separately published work icon Australia's Original Languages : An Introduction R. M. W. Dixon , Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2019 15987358 2019 reference

'This introduction to the languages of Aboriginal Australia provides a straightforward guide to their sound structure, word building and wide-ranging vocabulary, and highlights distinctive grammatical features. It also explains how language is related to culture including kinship relationships, gender systems and naming conventions. With examples from over thirty languages and anecdotes illustrating language use, it is the indispensable starting point for anyone interested in Aboriginal languages.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.
1 Water Hen Chicks i "ya-gu-n guri-gu bulindal-gu = Look at those water-hen chicks", Jimmy Murray , R. M. W. Dixon (translator), Grace Koch (translator), 2015 single work poetry
— Appears in: Jacket2 2015;
1 1 y separately published work icon I Am a Linguist R. M. W. Dixon , Leiden Boston : Brill , 2011 Z1861520 2011 single work autobiography 'I am a Linguist provides a fascinating account of the academic adventures of multi-faceted linguist, R.M.W. (Bob) Dixon. There is fieldwork (and lengthy grammars) on Dyirbal, Yidiñ and other Aboriginal languages of Australia, the Boumaa dialect of Fijian, and Jarawara from the dense jungles of Amazonia. Theoretical studies include adjective classes, ergativity and complement clauses. There are also detective novels, science fiction stories, and pioneering work on blues and gospel discography. Interspersed with the autobiographical narrative are explanations of how linguistics is a ... read morescientific discipline, of the development of universities, of diminishing academic standards, and of the treatment of Aboriginal people in Australia. The book is written in an easy, accessible style with numerous illustrative anecdotes. It will be an inspiration to young linguists and of interest to the general reader curious about what a scientific linguist does' (Publisher website).
1 y separately published work icon Searching for Aboriginal Languages : Memoirs of a Field Worker R. M. W. Dixon , Cambridge : Cambridge University Press , 2011 15283915 2011 single work autobiography

'In the early 1960s, R. M. W. (Bob) Dixon was one of the first linguists to study the Aboriginal languages of northeast Queensland, Australia. He found that some languages of the coastal rainforest were still in daily use, but others were only half-remembered by a single elder. This autobiographical account of fourteen years of research, first published in 1984, paints a fascinating picture of the frontier society that existed in the region nearly fifty years ago. It reveals the difficulties and the excitement of linguistic fieldwork, but most of all it focuses on the people who agreed to work with Dixon and patiently helped him to understand their dauntingly complex languages. They allowed him to record their legends and songs and spent many hours answering his questions; this book is a poignant reminder of the fragility of their ancient culture.' (Publication summary)
1 2 y separately published work icon Dyirbal Song Poetry : The Oral Literature of an Australian Rainforest People R. M. W. Dixon (editor), Grace Koch (editor), St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 1996 Z346752 1996 anthology poetry criticism

'The Dyirbal people of the Cairns rainforest region in North Queensland have a rich heritage of song poetry, reflecting their way of life, their way of looking at the world, and their way of coping with invasion. This pioneering study examines the words and music of 174 songs, across five distinctive styles of performance, each with its own metrical pattern and linguistic and musical characteristics, describing the social context in which the songs were sung and explaining their message.

As sung by nineteen Dyirbal singers, this collection explores the poetic tradition of a culture which flourished in Australia long before European impact. As a detailed record of an ancient and disappearing literary tradition, it is invaluable. For language and music specialists it provides the unique vocabulary and grammatical patterning so characterisitc of Aboriginal song'. (Source: Back cover, UQP 1996 edition)
1 8 y separately published work icon Little Eva at Moonlight Creek and Other Aboriginal Song Poems Martin Duwell (editor), R. M. W. Dixon (editor), St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 1994 Z406121 1994 anthology poetry Little Eva at Moonlight Creek is the sequel to the anthology of Aboriginal song poems, The Honey-Ant Men's Love Song. It samples the literary traditions of four language groups...Yanyuwa songs depicting particular events such as the 1942 crash of the B-25 bomber Little Eva, Ngurlu songs from Broome, Wangkangurru songs with mixed themes and Yolngu songs about birds from the Wora and Liyagawumirr clans. Each song is presented in its original language and in translation. Introductions place songs within their cultural context with interpretations offered by singers. (Source: Publishers blurb)
1 2 y separately published work icon Words of Our Country : Stories, Place Names and Vocabulary in Yidiny, the Aboriginal Language of the Cairns - Yarrabah Region R. M. W. Dixon (editor), St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 1991 Z153802 1991 anthology prose autobiography dreaming story
1 Song Lines as Poetry R. M. W. Dixon , 1990 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Independent Monthly , September vol. 2 no. 3 1990; (p. 42-43)
1 3 y separately published work icon Australian Aboriginal Words in English : Their Origin and Meaning R. M. W. Dixon (editor), Mandy Thomas (editor), W. S. Ramson (editor), Melbourne : Oxford University Press , 1990 Z808369 1990 single work non-fiction (taught in 1 units)
1 11 y separately published work icon The Honey-Ant Men's Love Song and Other Aboriginal Song Poems R. M. W. Dixon (editor), Martin Duwell (editor), St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 1990 Z555806 1990 anthology poetry criticism biography 'This anthology of Aboriginal song poems is the first collection of its kind, bringing together examples of an ancient and continuing tradition...These songs appear in a diversity of styles. The selections herein are from four distinct aboriginal language groups of North Queensland, Central Australia, Arnhemland aand the Simpson Desert. Each song appears in its original language with the translation opposite. The cultural context is provided by brief introductions and detailed commentaries through out the anthology.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)
1 Some Dyirbal Songs R. M. W. Dixon , 1990 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Honey-Ant Men's Love Song and Other Aboriginal Song Poems 1990; (p. 3)
1 1 y separately published work icon Death Upon a Spear Hosanna Brown , London : Gollancz , 1986 Z80223 1986 single work novel crime

'A light-hearted detective story set in various locations in Australia, including an Aboriginal reserve in Queensland.'
1 y separately published work icon I Spy, You Die : A Novel Hosanna Brown , London : Gollancz , 1984 Z167531 1984 single work novel crime
1 Paddy Biran's Song i "Ngaa...now then", Paddy Biran , R. M. W. Dixon , 1981 single work poetry
— Appears in: The Collins Book of Australian Poetry 1981; (p. 375-376) Antipodes : Poetic Responses 2011; (p. 74)
1 y separately published work icon Handbook of Australian Languages R. M. W. Dixon , Canberra : Australian National University Press , 1979 Z808366 1979 single work
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